Nissan Leaf to go farther and cost less in 2013

Wondering what the coming year will hold for Nissan's flagship electric car? Well, as expected, there's a small, but not negligible range boost in store. On a full charge, and with all the other electronics turned off, the 2013 Leaf should be able to eke 228 km (142 miles) out of its lithium ion pack, which is up from the 200 km (124 miles) of last year's model. There's also a new battery gauge that tells the driver how much juice is left in percentage points, instead of just miles remaining. The price of entry has also been seriously lowered, putting the EV within the reach of many more consumers. In Japan, the base model will cost just ¥2.5 million (roughly $31,000), significantly less than the 2012 edition which had a starting price of just under ¥3 million (around $37,000). While there's no guarantee that price drop with carry over stateside, we'd say it's a pretty good bet that a cheaper Leaf in our future. Sadly, there's no word about that fancy inductive charger.